Les (Leslie) Wolff, part 1 + 2 + 3 + 4

In 1959 I started saving newspapers that had Yankees on the covers, and in 1969 I started a quest to get every major athletes autograph. I started with the NY Jets getting Joe Namath and branched out to getting my idol Mickey Mantle in the Yankee locker room, and trading pictures with his agent Roy True, to Muhammad Ali, who I became friends with and did a TNT SPECIAL with. My Jamaica High School education was highlighted by having my picture in the Daily News getting Mickey Mantle’s autograph as a senior. My 3 idols in sports were Muhammad Ali, Mickey Mantle and Dave DeBusschere. My college education at LaGuardia Community College, in 1973, as part of the 1st graduating class, provided me a scholarship to go on with my schooling at Queens College, where I graduated with Jerry Seinfeld. By befriending major athletes like Hank Aaron, Muhammad Ali, Mickey Mantle, Bill Bradley, Joe Namath, Wayne Gretzky, Joe Frazier, Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis, Joe Dimaggio, and Thurman Munson, it provided me with a great collection. In order to afford my addiction I had to become a dealer and start selling my doubles at an early age in order to help support my parents who were much older and to pay for my college education, clothes, food, housing and transportation etc. Then I branched out and started the first sports auction in the world, in 1986, with Phillips and branched out to start my own company called Sports Auctions of NY. Sports Auctions of NY was around from 1987-92 Before the days of the internet I was appraising, auctioning, buying ,collecting, selling and trading sports memorabilia worldwide. I sold the only known copy of Josh Gibson’s contract, and when Lou Gehrig sued a newspaper for libel because they said ALS was contagious, I sold that document. I also sold a Lou Gehrig contract and check, along with quite a few mint autographed Babe Ruth baseballs. I used to take Dusty Baker, Ralph Garr and Bruce Bochy by train from the hotel to Shea Stadium and I am still friends with Dusty. My work has been with Miami Project, Tuesdays Children, MDA, MS, Make A Wish foundation, Ronald McDonald house, Stand on your feet Foot Locker, Arod’s charity and numerous other charities. We Provide celebrities for these events, whether they are dinners, golf outings, store appearances or corporate events, including simply just having an athlete call a child for an interview etc. I have worked with ESPN/Cox communications traveling the country appraising sports collectibles including authentic game worn jerseys, bats, rings, autographs, golf balls, and books. My business is to cater to the client whether it is a 6 year old child, teaching him how to collect and what to collect, to a Fortune 500 executive on how to preserve his valuable collection and store it. My goal is to try to help everyone I meet and pay it forward. Remember the collectible you save today will make someone smile tomorrow. Collectingly and sportingly yours, Les Les Wolff Worldwide Sports and Entertainment LLC.